STOUGHTON /Columbus, Courtney and Commonwealth
"Three Cs," a good solid neighborhood

By TERI BORSETI
For The Patriot Ledger Area: 16.39 sq. mi.

POPULATION
2000: 27,149
2006: 27,506

Density: 1,693 res/sq. mi.
Median age: 41
Median household income: $66,785

FINANCES
Tax rate: $9.70 res./$19.93 comm.
Town budget: $64 million
Water/sewer: $15 for first 500 cubic feet/$6.83 per 100 cubic feet.

HOUSING
Median home price
2007: $320,000 ( through Nov.)
Median condo price
2007: $228,000 (through Nov.)

SCHOOLS
Number of students: 3,970
Number of teachers: 288
H.S. grads to 4-yr. college: 60%
H.S. grads to 2-yr. college: 20%
Median SAT score (2006): 1487

Anne Hoffman grew up in a house a couple of streets over from the one she lives in today. She said she still feels the same way she always has about the Stoughton neighborhood.

"We've lived here since we built this house in 1988 and even though it isn't exactly the same as when I was a kid, it's still a great place to live," she said.

The garrison colonial home she shares with her husband, David, sits on a parcel of land she acquired from her father. The house is where the Hoffmans raised their three children.

"I can remember when everything across the street was woods and the house on the corner was a small two-bedroom house," she said.

Residents call it the three Cs neighborhood. The Cs are Columbus, Courtney and Commonwealth avenues which form a U-shaped neighborhood about a mile from downtown Stoughton.

The first houses built in this section of town date back to the 1960s and others, including the Hoffmans', have been built since then giving the neighborhood a diversity of architectural styles. Many of the ranches, Capes and Colonials, each on a half-acre lot, have had garages, second floors and extra rooms added on.

It's a quiet area lined with tall pine trees. "When I was a kid they used to call this section Field Brook. I'm not sure why.

Most of the neighbors that lived here when I was growing up are gone now and there are a few new families that have moved in. It's a nice mix of people," Hoffman said.

Scott Simpson has been living in his Cape on Courtney Avenue for 22 years.

"I think the thing people like about living here is the fact that you can walk to the center and the commuter train and yet it isn't uncommon to see a deer once in a while," he said.

Simpson added that Stoughton is known for its school system, making it a popular place for families with small children.

Hoffman agreed. "The Gibbons Elementary School right down the street was just great for my kids. That was also one of the first schools around to recognize students with Asperger's syndrome and offer special education programs," she said.

Thirty five years ago, when Frances Piasecki announced she was moving from South Boston to a house in Stoughton, her friends and family thought she was moving to the country. Her split-level ranch cost $40,000 then and it was a big step.

"I had three kids go through the school system here and I was always very happy with it. We considered Canton way back when, but I like Stoughton more. In fact, as soon as I drove down this street I knew I'd found the place where I wanted to live," Piasecki said.

More than three decades later, many of her original neighbors have moved on but she has no intention of leaving. She feels that if she decided to sell the house, which is now a two-story colonial, that it would list in the high $300,000's to middle $400,000's.

"It's a good solid neighborhood and there are many like that in Stoughton. In fact when people decide to move around here they tend to stay in town," she said.

Laura Thomason of Keller Williams Realty in South Easton said, "Stoughton consistently sells better than surrounding towns. Buyers can get more for their money here and you can't beat the location."